Raiders' OC Mick Lombardi on Detroit Lions Week

The Las Vegas Raiders (3-4) are headed to Detroit this week to take on the Lions (5-2) in a Monday Night Football contest, and Offensive Cordinator Mick Lombardi discussed it.

DETROIT, Mich.--Coming off a disappointing loss at the hands of the Chicago Bears, the Las Vegas Raiders (3-4) have the difficult task of taking down a Detroit Lions (5-2) team that is chomping at the bit for this upcoming Monday Night game.

Silver and Black offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi stepped to the podium to address the media, and we have it for you.

You can watch the entire video above and read the transcript below:

Offensive Coordinator Mick Lombardi 

Q: What was your assessment of quarterback Brian Hoyer's performance this weekend? Coach 

Lombardi: "Not just Brian’s, but I think the whole unit, including everybody, we just didn't do a good enough job of extending plays, extending drives and finishing off and scoring points at the end of it. Our execution wasn't where it needed to be. Our lack of, I would say, mental stamina and concentration wavered at the end of some drives, and then we turned the ball over. So, you are not really able to get a rhythm that way and all of a sudden you find yourself down 14 points. It’s hard to kind of take control of the game when you find yourself down by two scores in the middle of the second quarter. So, it was not good enough from anybody. Not just Brian, but the whole unit." 

Q: Does that feel like that's kind of been the theme of the offense, it just hasn't quite got going the way it's supposed to with all the weapons that you guys have?

Coach Lombardi: "Yeah, I think you want to have a mixture of sustained drives and then some big plays to counteract those. We haven't done a good enough job overall of just sustaining the drives we have had. And the drives we have sustained, finishing those in the red zone and then taking advantage of some of the big play opportunities. We get the pass interference call to Tre Tucker in the game and then we can't convert that into six points. So, we've got to take advantage of the big play opportunities that we get, and then the drives that we do sustain, we can't mess up with penalties and turnovers in the red area. It's kind of been our crux the entire season." 

The Las Vegas Raiders Mick Lombardi discussing the state of the Silver and Black offense, before heading to Detroit / Darrell Craig Harris, Raiders Today

Q: One of the things Coach Josh McDaniels said after the game is, it's not the preseason anymore, in regard to rookie quarterback Aidan O'Connell. What do you guys still want to see from him in terms of his development? 

Coach Lombardi: "I think just the level of consistency every day in everything he does. Aidan is a smart guy who works hard and tries to get better, but I think the speed of the game is something you can't really see in practice. I think in terms of just his preparation and mindset and the way he goes into it and consistently making the right plays and the right decisions on every play, is something that you look for in every quarterback, especially Aidan. So, moving forward, we'll try to do that, and he'll try and do a good job of that." 

Q: How do you walk the fine line between getting wide receiver Davante Adams the ball but also not forcing him the ball so defenses don't key in on him? 

Coach Lombardi: "Well, every defense keys in on him pretty much every week. That's kind of the M.O., and rightfully so, they should. He's a great player. But you know that your offense will have good drives and sustained drives if you get him involved because he's a great player. So, we factor in both those things: 'OK, how can we get in the ball based on how they're going to try and take him away?’ I thought we tried to do a good job of that to start the game last week and then as the game kind of progressed on, the game went a certain way. We tried to get the running game going, shortened drives because of turnovers and then they kind of controlled the clock offensively, so we weren't able to get opportunities. But every week is different. We have Detroit this week and they play a mixture of split and post zone, and I'm sure they'll have a plan to take away Davante in some of those areas. But we've got to take advantage of opportunities when he does get single coverage and does get open. He has to take advantage of the opportunities and we have to take advantage of those opportunities as an offense, whether it's the protection or from the quarterback because if we miss those opportunities, they're not going to come up 80 times in the game. So, we've just got to do a good job of making sure that we make sure we hit him, and we all do our part to get him right." 

Q: What are some things that you’ve seen from tackle Thayer Munford that have earned him more reps? 

Coach Lombardi: "I think it's consistency in practice. Every player who I would say makes his way into the Sunday lineup or Sunday rotation, is consistent in practice. And Thayer did a good job of that in the spring and then training camp of playing at a consistently both in pass protection and in the running game. So, he's earned that playing time. He obviously had a role in that of playing the jumbo tight end/jumbo tackle early in the season last year, and then his play in that as well as practice and play at right tackle has earned him some opportunities to play. And Jermaine [Eluemunor] has played well enough to still earn the opportunity to play as well, which is why you see the rotation there at right tackle with both those guys." 

Q: How much of a challenge will it be for the offense going against Aidan Hutchinson and the Lions defense? 

Coach Lombardi: "Coach [Aaron] Glenn does a really good job. This is a much-improved unit from last season. They're playing really hard, they're playing fast, they're playing physical. [Aidan] Hutchinson sums them up as a whole unit -- they're aggressive and they all play with a high motor. They want to get to the football, they take pride in it, they tackle really well. You can see they put a lot of stress on fundamentals and effort, and I think that's what the core belief of their defense is, and you can see it on tape every Sunday. Because they go out there and they try to play hard-nosed football, and they do a good job of it. So, to your point, Hutchinson, he does a good job of that. That's kind of his M.O., and he's a really good player. He's a good player on the edge in both the running and passing game. But I would say, he sums them up as a unit in general." 

Q: Ford Field can be one of the loudest stadiums in the league. How do you prepare your team for that? 

Coach Lombardi: "Playing in a dome is definitely different. I mean, we play in one every Sunday, but ours is a little bit different. I haven't been there in a while, but it's definitely something we are going to have to get used to. The good thing for us is we're very used to using the silent count, so we're used to being against noise, whether it's home or away. So, the silent count is something that we've been practicing for a long time, and we use it on a regular basis. I would say definitely playing in a dome is different with kind of getting off the football and we've got to do a good job on the cadence and making sure we're good to go. and not letting them get a good jump on the football. Because a lot of good dome teams with good defensive lines can have a good advantage of that. But our efforts in the silent counts are going to pay off I think a little bit." 

Q: A Monday Night Football game for Detroit is a pretty rare thing. How vital is it to not allow them to take over with the emotion and the enthusiasm? 

Coach Lombardi: "Yeah, versus any good team. Last year, we went to Kansas City and played them on Monday Night Football, and we got off to a fast start, and I think that was really important for us. Not just in terms of us versus them, but for our confidence as well. We want to get off to a fast start. We want to get off to a fast start and make sure we get confidence in ourselves, and we feel like: ‘Hey, we can actually get this done and we can really do this.’ We have that belief in practice Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and we're ready to go. And then we got to go out there and we've got to make sure that if any little hiccup comes up in a drive, we don't let it falter us and don't let it affect us, because we want to make sure that we get the most positive plays we can. But we want to do that for us, whether it counteracts what they're doing defensively or what they're doing as a unit. But we got to do that for ourselves first. And it only helps to do it against your opponent on the road." 

Q: You were talking about Thayer Munford a little bit ago. He seems like such a quiet, thoughtful, intelligent kid off the field. And then on the field he seems much more emotional. What does that do for the team and is that something you've seen from players throughout the years of somebody who's very different on and off the field? 

Coach Lombardi: "I love players with good juice, man. It gives you confidence. Again, it goes back to the confidence thing. Guys who communicate and talk and have that energy and that juice, it's a big reason that can instill that and affect others. You want to affect others in a positive mindset, that's what a leader does. You can affect the unit in a positive way and get them to play better. And I think Thayer does a good job of that, kind of just getting the offensive line going and bringing good juice and good energy. The quarterback could feel that, Davante [Adams] can feel that, other players can feel that, and you hope every player does that. Just by personality a trait, not everybody's like that, but that gives a lot of positive energy and positive juice, and it gives confidence to the unit, and it gives confidence to himself too. And you only can do that if you're playing a certain way and playing well, so it kind of goes hand in hand." 

Q: Did you feel like it was a little bit of a step back in terms of tight end Michael Mayer's involvement in the offense? 

Coach Lombardi: "Yeah, I mean, Michael played a lot of snaps in the game and contributed a lot in both the running game and passing game. I think for a rookie, Mike has done a really good job. I know we talk about it every week and we want his catches to go up and up. But he's going to have some games where he's only going to catch two or three balls and he's going to block really hard in the running game and do some certain things. I think there were a couple of plays in the running game that he could have done a better job on of in terms of assignment and execution wise. And that goes for everybody, but I'm not displeased with Michael's performance whatsoever. He's growing every week and getting better, and I'm really happy with where he's at." 

Q: Defenses obviously play a role when it comes to stopping the run, but how much of it can be on the offensive side of things of opening things up? Like you mentioned, a couple of missed tackles or missed blocks here and there? 

Coach Lombardi: "Yeah, I think we're right there. I'm looking forward to getting started this week and I'm waiting for that breakout game because I think we have a chance to get it because I see how close we are and see how close that we have a chance to really break out a big one or get going. I know the offensive line is really chomping at the bit to get that done. JJ [Josh Jacobs] definitely is, the skill guys are. So, we're right there. Our execution needs to be a little bit better. We've got to do a good job as coaches putting together a good plan this week in the running game because Detroit is a very good run defense. I think they are second in the league, giving up 75 yards a game. So, we've got to bring our A-game and be ready to go. We get everybody's best every week, so we want to make sure we give our best and accept the challenge because it's going to be a burden to try to run the football this week in the dome in Detroit. So, we got to do a good job of that with a good plan and a good level of execution."

Q: Coach Josh McDaniels talked yesterday about always feeling close to having that break out game on offense. How close do you feel it is and what is the difference between being close and actually taking that step? 

Coach Lombardi: "I think when you watch the tape and you watch us as an offense, you see every position maybe kind of takes a turn in making a mistake or level of execution. We have to do a better job overall as a coaching staff and from a player perspective of just not letting one mistake affect other plays, and just moving on and moving forward. And then I would say just executing a play all 11 together. We always talk about it. We’re not independent contractors, we all have to work together as a unit. And if one player messes up a certain aspect of the play, the play's not going to work. And it's not like we have five bombs going off at one time. It's really one little thing here and there. That was a four-yard gain, but: ‘Man, if we did this a little better that would've been 15 or 20 yards.’ So, I think that's what we have to try to get at. A little bit more strain, a little bit more execution from all 11 guys on a more consistent basis. I think we're right there and we'll see a good performance for us as an offense, and where we want to be at least, or improvement." 

The Silver and Black will stay on the road to take on the Detroit Lions on Monday night, Oct. 30, at 8:15 p.m. EDT/5:15 p.m. PDT.

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